Probable exclusion of the cortexin-encoding gene as a candidate for mouse neurological mutants: nervous, tottering and motor neuron degeneration.

We have tested the gene encoding cortexin, Ctxn, which maps to chromosome 8, as a candidate for the mouse neurological mutants: nervous (nr), tottering (tg) plus tottering-leaner (tgla), and motor neuron degeneration (mnd) by Northern blot analysis of brain poly(A)+ RNA and direct polymerase chain reaction (PCR) sequencing. No difference from wild-type was seen in any of these mutants. Based upon these observations, we conclude that Ctxn is not involved in the genetic defects found in nr, tg or mnd mice.